Dread Mountain (book)
Dread Mountain is the fifth book of the Deltora Quest series. Synopsis As Lief and his companions journey from The Shifting Sands towards Dread Mountain, their next destination, they discover a grove with mysterious trees growing around it. The center has a small round pool surrounded by white stones. They find out that the place is called The Dreaming Spring. Lief, Barda and Jasmine drink the water and fill their water bottles. As night comes, they decide to camp by neighbouring trees at the spring, and then they fall asleep. That night, Lief dreams that he is at the forge yard in Del, and it is dark and deserted. Lief goes inside and calls, but gets no answer. As he continues his search, he sees everything scattered and on the floor. Then he looks out the window and sees the moon shining down on the empty yard, and notices something on the forge gate. He walks towards it and as he moves closer, he realizes that the gate is branded with the Shadow Lord's mark. Startled, Lief wakes, breathing very fast. He tells himself over and over that it had been a dream and there was nothing to fear. When he looks up at the sky, he realizes that it is dawn. He stood up and walked towards the pool and noticed that the trees were very strange. Not one leaf fell from them, and Kree didn't like the trees. When Lief had almost reached the spring, he hears a soft, splashing sound coming from the spring. Lief holds the hilt of his sword and creeps closer to the pool. As he looks over from the trees, he sees a plump shape drinking from the pool. He thought that it was an animal of some kind. As Lief takes a step forward, the little creature turns and sees him. He looks at the creature and knew that it was harmless, but fearful. He told the creature that he will not hurt it and to not be afraid. The creature asks him his name and Lief is startled by the creature's ability to speak. He then introduces himself and found out that the creature's name is Prin, daughter of the Kin. Prin walks toward Lief and as he sees the face, he had a flashback of when he was a child and his mother had made him a toy Kin. He thought that the Kin had died out long ago, and cannot believe that a live Kin is in front of him. Prin asks Lief to play 'hide-and-find' with her. Lief asks her about her family and where they were, but Prin tells him that they are still dreaming. She points to an area where the other Kin are sleeping, and Lief finds out that he mistook them for rocks since the Kin were curled up so tightly. Prin starts singing a song, and that was Lief's chance to hide. He hides behind a tree, but as Prin nears the end of her song, Lief realizes that the singing abruptly stopped. He looks up from his hiding spot to see two Grey Guards holding Prin in a jacket tied with ropes. One of the Guards makes a mistake in saying that they were having pig for breakfast. Lief wakes Barda and Jasmine and tells them the situation. The Guards drink the spring water and prepare to attack Lief, but before they can attack, they are turned into trees: the same kind which surround the grove. The other Kin awaken and begin babying Prin as if she were a little child. The Kin tells the companions that the water is safe to drink by those of good heart, but for those with evil intentions, they would pay the price of turning into a tree. Lief and Barda are amazed, as they thought that the Kin were extinct. The oldest Kin, Crenn, says that they are few in number now since the Dread Gnomes began shooting arrows at the Kin when they lived on Dread Mountain. They tell the companions of how the grove used to be their winter home and how they migrated from the mountain every winter, but they now live in the grove year-round because the gnomes started using poison on their arrow tips, which killed many Kin quickly. Lief tells of their voyage to the Mountain and they make arrangements to fly to the mountain with three Kin: Merin, Ailsa, and Bruna. Lief then tells Jasmine and Barda about his dream, and the Kin reveal that after drinking the water, one will be able to dream about whatever he or she thinks. They will dream of the real thing, but will only be there in the form of a spirit. The night before their departure, Lief drinks the Dreaming Spring Water and thinks of his father. When he falls asleep, he sees his father chained in a dungeon and lying in a corner. Lief calls out to him and runs over towards him, forgetting that he is only there in spirit. His father does not hear him. The cell doors opened and a tall, thin man in robes entered the cell. After his father asks if the man's name is Prandine, the man's reveals that his name is Fallow. He says that "the Master likes this face and form," and chose to repeat it in him. He then questions Lief's father. Fallow says that a boy, a man and a girl with a blackbird have been sighted trying to undo the Shadow Lord's work. Lief's father is surprised at the mention of Jasmine, not knowing what happened in the Forests of Silence. When Fallow suggests that the man is Endon, Lief's father bursts into laughter. Lief thinks that the notion of Barda being mistaken for quiet, gentle King Endon is ludicrous. Lief's father's laughter stops when Fallow threatens him, saying that not only his life is in Fallow's hands. After Fallow leaves, Lief's father clenches his fists and says, 'They are alive, and succeeding! Oh, Lief, Barda, good fortune! I am fighting my battle here as best as I can. You must fight yours. My hopes and prayers go with you!' Lief then wakes up. In the morning, during a breakfast of travellers' biscuits, Lief tells Barda about his spirit-dream, and Barda reveals that he dreamt of Lief's father as well. When Jasmine makes a sad noise, Lief asks her what is wrong. Jasmine says that she tried to picture her father when she drank from the spring last night, but because she was so young when he was taken she could not remember his face, and so she did not dream of him. She shrugs and says that maybe it is better to think of her father as dead, like her mother. Although she tries to hide it, Lief can see that she is disappointed and in pain, and he is sad for her. But he pushes his sadness aside when it is time to leave; he must focus on restoring the gems to the Belt of Deltora. It is the only way he can help his parents and the other Deltorans. It is decided that Lief will ride with Ailsah, Barda with Merin, and Jasmine with Bruna. The Kin taking them to the Mountain are all female, for only female Kin have pouches in which to carry passengers. The way the Kin take flight is alarming. Ailsah, Merin and Bruna run towards the end of a cliff, flapping their wings. They then launch themselves into the air. Lief screws his eyes shut, alarmed, and does not open them until he hears Ailsah's wing beating steadily through the air above him. When the sun is setting, the three Kin decide to rest for the night at a place they call Kinrest-- a place where the Kin used to rest during their journeys to and from the Mountain during the winter. They have difficulty finding it from above, but finally they land, and Lief, Barda and Jasmine climb out of the pouches, glad to be on the ground again. Merin, Ailsah and Bruna are astounded by how different Kinrest looks. One of them comments that it was no wonder that they could not find the place when they were in the air. They leave the trio alone for a few moments to explore. Moments later, Merin calls out to them, telling them that there is something they should see. The three companions hurry towards her, entering a cave where Merin, Ailsah and Bruna stand looking anxious. It seems that someone had been living in the cave a long time ago. Jasmine says that the trees say that once a good man lived there, but blood was shed and he died. Barda asks when it occured, but Jasmine says that trees do not keep track of years like humans do. It is all one to them. The three Kin show the trio a grave, on which is marked: HERE LIES DOOM OF THE HILLS, WHO HOUSED A FRIENDLESS STRANGER AND SO MET HIS DEATH. HE WILL BE AVENGED! The trio are shocked. They realize that the Doom of the Hills that they know is not really Doom at all, but someone else. He had taken on another identity, like Lief, Barda and Jasmine did in Rithmere. Jasmine is furious at the deceit, certain that Doom is a Shadow Lord spy and that he killed the old Doom of the Hills. Lief and Barda urge her not to be too hasty in her judgements; after all, they too had once taken another identity. Merin, Ailsah and Bruna approach them, apologizing for showing them the grave for they see that it has upset the trio. They say that they will now rest, for they will have to wake up early in the morning to continue their journey. The trio retire soon after, and Lief dreams of a man whose face is covered by a mask. The next morning, once they are in the air, Merin tells the other three Kin and the three companions that as she was sleeping she felt the Kin nearby, trying to tell her something, but of course she saw or heard nothing and the feeling soon passed. As they approach the Mountain, Merin, Ailsah and Bruna begin to swerve sharply, trying to make it harder for the Dread Gnomes' arrows to hit them. Arrows fly through the air around them as the Kin swerve to avoid them. The Kin plunge downwards towards a lower part of the Mountain covered with spiny trees, and Ailsah bellows to Lief to cover his face. Lief does so as the three Kin land in the middle of the thorns, smashing the trees and creating a small clearing. As the three companions climb out of the pouches and nurse some cuts and scratches they received from the thorns, the Kin explain that the trees are called Boolong trees, and that they are known for their spiny trunks. The Kin used to eat from the Boolong trees when they lived on the Mountain. The Dread Gnomes hate the Boolong trees, and try to avoid them. It is why the three Kin landed where they did-- because the Gnomes will not follow them to this part of the Mountain. After gathering some cones from the Boolong trees to carry back to the other Kin, Merin, Ailsah and Bruna make their farewells to Lief, Barda and Jasmine and leave, Merin rather reluctantly. The three companions are watching the Kin disappear into the distance when they see another Kin, a smaller one, flying clumsily towards the Mountain. They realize that it is Prin. Horrified they watch as an arrow hits Prin in the chest, and she falls out of the sky. The trio race to where she falls, and Jasmine manages to save Prin using the last drops of the nectar of the Lillies of Life. Jasmine bitterly comments that the Gnomes shot at Prin for entertainment. Lief is so relieved when Prin wakes up that he takes out his fear and worry on her by yelling at her-- something he swore not to do. Prin shrinks away, and Lief apologizes, saying that they have been so worried for her. He then asks how she came to the Mountain. Prin admits that she followed them when they left the Dreaming Spring, and rested near them at Kinrest. But when they left Kinrest the next day, Merin, Ailsa and Bruna flew so fast that she fell behind. Prin's eyes widen as she remembers being shot, but Jasmine quickly assures her that they had a 'potion' that made her better. Later, as Prin races away to explore the Mountain which she has never seen before now, the trio discuss what should be done now. Jasmine wants to take Prin with them up the Mountain, for Prin is able to clear a path through the trees easily without injuring herself. But Lief and Barda don't want Prin with them. Barda believes that Prin will be a liability, and Lief doesn't want to bring Prin into danger, for he has grown fond of her. As they are arguing, thunder rumbles in the sky and a Vraal suddenly darts from the stream towards them. The trio springs immediately into action, Barda and Lief attacking with their swords and Jasmine with her dagger. But the Vraal is extraordinarily swift-- it evades all their attacks. In an attempt to sneak behind the Vraal and attack it while it is distracted with Lief and Barda, Jasmine is knocked unconscious by the Vraal. Horrified, Lief cries out in despair as he watches Jasmine fall to the ground. Knowing they are doomed, Barda orders Lief to escape with the Belt. Reluctantly, Lief, with an injured arm, begins to crawl away, but realizes that it is pointless because the Vraal will come after him after it has finished with Barda, and he cannot run very far with an injured arm. Horrified and despairing, Lief watches as the Vraal knocks Barda off his feet and prepares to strike. Lief believes all is lost when help comes from a surprising source. Prin flies from the stream, her claws clutching some purple moss. She drops the moss on the Vraal's head, and it cries out in outrage, blinded by the moss, and blunders away into the stream. Stunned at the Vraal's retreat, Lief, Barda and Jasmine, who has just woken up, decide to find a cave to rest in, to shelter from the harsh thunderstorm. In the cave, Prin tells of the purple moss, that harms, and the green moss, that heals. She helps bind Lief's injured arm in green moss, claiming that it will help it heal. She admits to missing her family, and says that if they were here in spirit, she would say that she missed them. Barda notices a strange writing on the cave wall, written in blood. It says: WHO AM I? ALL IS DARKNESS, BUT I WILL NOT DESPAIR. THREE THINGS I KNOW: I KNOW I AM A MAN. I KNOW WHERE I HAVE BEEN. I KNOW WHAT I MUST DO. FOR NOW, THAT IS ENOUGH. The symbol of the resistance is written underneath the writing. The trio are deeply disturbed by it, and wonder who the man was, and if he escaped the Mountain. Prin suggests that the man came from the Shadowlands, but Barda disagrees, saying that no one escapes from the Shadowlands. The trio and Prin are forced to stay in the cave for three days, the storm making it impossible to venture out. The trio recovers from the injuries sustained from fighting the Vraal, and the day the storm finally stops, they are ready to go. The trio clear their way through the dense forestry with Prin's help, and stumble upon a deserted hut which seems to have belonged to the Dread Gnomes. Ignoring Prin's protests, Barda enters the hut and rips four pieces of boolong bark to use as shields. The trio then continue up the Mountain. They reach the main road, where they are forced to hide from a group of Dread Gnomes who are passing by. They then continue up the Mountain using the road. Eventually the trio and Prin reach a door equally carved inwards into a cliff face. On the door are some arrows shaped in a strange way, and a rhyme. The rhyme says: FIND AN ARROW STRAIGHT AND NARROW THIS WILL BE YOUR FRONT KEY FIND ITS MATE UPON THE GATE TURN IT ONCE AND ONCE MORE PUSH DONT PULL THE DOOR The trio decide that the rhyme is telling them to unlock the door using one of the arrows on the door and push the door open. Just before they walk through the door, Prin begs them not to go, saying that it is certain to be a trick. The companions are adamant that they must go in, no matter what. Just as Lief is about to step through the door, Prin knocks him to the ground in an attempt to stop him. On the ground, as Prin apologizes anxiously for knocking him down, the strange shapes on the door become clear to Lief. They are words. Horrified, Lief reads: "To find your end.' Lief shouts to Jasmine to stop, as she is about to go through the door, but is too late as she steps through the doorway and falls into a deep pit. Lief grabs hold of her hand just in time and with Barda's help pulls her from the pit. Then they close the door and follow the direcrions set in the rhyme again, only this time instead of pushing they pull the door open. Barda takes some arrows from the door and throws them at the floor inside the door. They clang onto the floor. They realise that the pit is revealed when the door is pushed inwards. The trio and Prin enter the cavern, and are met with three different passageways to go through. They choose the middle passage, because it is the only one that Barda would be able to fit through without crawling. As they walk, they notice dark shapes ahead of them, with weapons, and assume they are gnomes. They walk on, on the defense, until they reach the end of the tunnel. The tunnel slams shut behind them, and the trio and Prin find themselves trapped with limited oxygen. After hours of thinking and worrying, Lief, Barda and Jasmine use the water of the Dreaming Spring that they still have in their bottles to dream of where the emerald is hidden. They find, much to their disgust and horror, that the Dread Gnomes are the slaves of the giant toad Gellick, and that the emerald is placed on its brow. After awakening, Barda realises that the mirror that is in the 'room' is really a window on the other side that the Gnomes use to spy on them. The trio and Prin smash the mirror-window and escape their 'prison', ending up in a passageway in the Dread Gnomes' holding. They are seen by some of the Gnomes who chase them and lob poisoned arrows at them. The trio and Prin hide in the breeding room, but as Jasmine is hurrying inside she is hit by an arrow. Inside the room, Lief and Barda are grief-stricken as they believe that Jasmine is dying now, but they are forced to prevent the Gnomes from entering the room. Lief remembers that the ruby in the Belt is an antidote to snake venom. He makes Jasmine touch the ruby, hopeful that it may expel the toad's venom. Prin and Barda continue to guard the door. The Gnomes order the trio to surrender; they refuse. Lief and Barda insult the Gnomes' home, in the hopes of getting the Gnomes to support them and fight against Gellick. The Gnomes have doubt of the trio's power against Gellick and are reluctant to let them defeat Gellick until they see Jasmine alive and well, who they thought would not survive the venom. The Gnomes then agree to a meeting with the trio. The three representatives from the Gnomes are Gla-Thon, Fa-Glin and Ri-Nan. Though skeptical of the trio's 'magic' and power, they agree to let the trio try and defeat Gellick. The trio agree to defeat Gellick on the condition that they get the gem that rests on Gellick's brow. The trio assure the Gnomes that they do not have to enter the cavern with them, but the Gnomes are adamant that they do, not trusting the trio not to steal gold from the cavern. Characters Lief Barda Jasmine Prin Ailsah Merin Bruna Crenn Fallow Endon Information *The Dreaming Spring is introduced. If the drinker is of good intent, they travel in spirit to the place or person they are thinking of when they drink from the Spring. People who are of evil intent are turned into identical trees in the grove. *The gem to be found in this novel is the emerald. It lies on Gellick's brow. *The Dread Gnomes have become slaves of the giant toad Gellick. They are forced to supply the Grey Guards with Gellick's venom in exchange for using it on their arrows when they hunt the Kin. *It is revealed that Lief's parents have been imprisoned by the Shadow Lord in Del, and are suspected of helping the people on the quest to restore the Gems to the Belt of Deltora. *The Shadow Lord is aware of the quest for the gems now, and suspects that Lief is one of the people on the quest. It wrongly believes that Barda is Endon. Category:Books